Sunday Edition

Briefly speaking

While exercise and diet are integral to weight, there may be certain tweaks you can make for better results. And unlike fad diets which take you to extremes and lead you to fast or eat just one food item a day, this new study asks you to just chew gum. A team of Japanese researchers reveal that the key to weight loss could be as simple as chewing gum while walking. They conducted experiments where they found that the heart rate of 46 people, aged 21 to 69, increased when they were given gum to chew while walking at a natural pace. Previous research had found that gum chewing boosts heart rate and energy expenditure in people at rest. And while masticating caused a measurable physical difference in participants of both genders and across all age groups, it was most pronounced in men over 40, the team reported. “Combining exercise and gum chewing may be an effective way to manage weight,” researchers said.

Leg exercise vital for healthy brain

Regularly moving your legs, especially when bearing weight, is essential for the production of healthy neural cells, essential for the brain and nervous system, a study has found. The research published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, shows that neurological health depends as much on signals sent by the body’s large, leg muscles to the brain as it does on directives from the brain to the muscles. The study alters brain and nervous system medicine - giving doctors new clues as to why patients with motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy and other neurological diseases often rapidly decline when their movement becomes limited.

The danger of wifi for our kids

A leading cancer expert has called for a ban on school WiFi networks over fears they could put children’s health at risk. Dr Anthony Miller, an advisor to the World Health Organisation, says pupils could suffer long-term effects from exposure to the radio waves. He warned: “Radiation from mobile phones and other wireless devices can cause changes in DNA and induce cancer in experimental animals. “Children’s skulls are thinner and absorb much more of this radiation. We ignore this at our future peril.” Campaigners claim an increasing number of people suffer from “electromagnetic sensitivity” - leading to symptoms from a lack of concentration to headaches and nosebleeds. In one disturbing case, a 15-year-old is said to have taken her own life after being overwhelmed by tiredness, dizzy spells and even itchy skin due to WiFi networks at her school.